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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26358433">He's a Jolly Good Fellow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnPhillipaSoosa/pseuds/JohnPhillipaSoosa'>JohnPhillipaSoosa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inn Between (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday Party, Coping, Found Family, Gen, Sad Birthday</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:42:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26358433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnPhillipaSoosa/pseuds/JohnPhillipaSoosa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Meltyre hasn't spoken a word all day. Betty finds out why.</p>
<p>I dunno, I thought about those tweets about Meltyre's birthday and blacked out. And you know, I've been pretty preoccupied with the idea of wanting/needing good things to happen in traumatic times. Haven't we all. Stay safe out there, kids.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Meltyre &amp; Betty Triguut, The Gang (Inn Between)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>He's a Jolly Good Fellow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plans had been made, along with a set of backup plans. They’d go to the castle and ask about Meltyre’s sisters first, and if that didn’t work, they would gather intelligence and work on an escape plan or rescue mission. Or perhaps a funeral, but that didn’t bear thinking about until absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>It was still a couple days’ travel to the capital, though, and Betty was keeping a careful eye on Meltyre. The determination to find his sisters was such an uncharacteristic turn that she feared a breaking point, when his fear ricocheted back again. She’d seen him on the verge of panic before, and he was in no position to face his fears when he was overcome by them.</p>
<p>For the most part, though, after his admission of guilty conscience, he seemed to be keeping pretty level. He went over plans a little excessively, maybe, but no one in this clan of theirs could fault him for that.</p>
<p>So it was until they were two days away from their destiny.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Meltyre hadn’t said a word all day. None of the others seemed to notice this, but Betty did. She liked the way Meltyre talked; it was always clear he was smart, but he also didn’t use words that were outside her vocabulary of Common. It helped being friends with Fina—before they’d met, Betty’s Common had been fairly rudimentary—but she still occasionally struggled.</p>
<p>But today Meltyre wasn’t talking. He didn’t seem particularly sad, nor more worried than usual, but something weighed heavy on his mind.</p>
<p>He wandered away while Fina and Sterling were having some good-natured argument or another, muttering about getting another drink. Betty waited for a count of 300, and when it was evident he wasn’t coming back, got up to follow him to the bar.</p>
<p>Meltyre still didn’t say anything, even after Betty settled down next to him; he just stared into the full mug of cider. Completely lost in thought.</p>
<p>After a count of 120, Betty said, “You okay?”</p>
<p>Meltyre jumped. “Oh—oh. It’s just you.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Betty said. She’d forgotten once again that most people didn’t pay as much attention as she did.</p>
<p>Meltyre waved a hand to dismiss the apology. “It’s fine. Um. I’m fine.” He turned back to his glass. “You know. Under the circumstances.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” Well, that wasn’t the whole story.</p>
<p>“Why do you ask?”</p>
<p>“You got something on your mind.”</p>
<p>Meltyre met her eyes. “...Yeah. Um. How’d you know?”</p>
<p>Betty shrugged. It was obvious to her.</p>
<p>Her friend fell silent again, this time staring into space. Thinking. Betty waited. If he wanted to talk about it, he would.</p>
<p>Evidently he did, because after a few minutes, he sighed. “I don’t even know why it matters right now.”</p>
<p>“Why what matters?”</p>
<p>Meltyre rubbed the back of his head, careful not to knock askew his hat. “Well...it’s my birthday.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” This was not what Betty expected. “Happy birthday.”</p>
<p>“Uh, thanks,” Meltyre said automatically. “It’s just...it’s weird, is all.”</p>
<p>“What’s weird?” Aging? Aging was weird. Betty had noticed twinges that seemed to stick around for longer, and wrinkles appearing on her forehead and around her eyes, but that hardly seemed to apply to a veritable child like Meltyre.</p>
<p>“Birthdays are always weird for me,” Meltyre said. “Or they have been for the last few years anyway. I haven’t celebrated one since before I joined the order.”</p>
<p>Betty frowned. “How many years?”</p>
<p>“The last four.” Meltyre rested his chin in his hand. “At home we made a big deal of birthdays. Even in years we couldn’t really afford to. And then when I left home…”</p>
<p>“You didn’t go back for your birthday?”</p>
<p>“It always happened right before exams,” Meltyre explained. “I couldn’t just leave.”</p>
<p>Betty had only a vague idea of what wizard orders did, but that did sound prohibitive.</p>
<p>“Last year I thought, this is the last time I’ll be alone trying to celebrate my birthday,” Meltyre went on. “I thought this year was going to be different.”</p>
<p>“It’s sure different.”</p>
<p>Meltyre sighed again. “Yeah. Definitely different.”</p>
<p>Betty watched him carefully. “You’re not alone this year.”</p>
<p>“I guess not.” He finally took an absent-minded drink of cider. </p>
<p>She didn’t look away, thinking about what he wasn’t saying.</p>
<p>“...You miss your sisters.”</p>
<p>Meltyre squeezed his eyes shut. “Like a pit in my guts.”</p>
<p>Betty threw an arm around his shoulders, and he didn’t even flinch, just leaned into it. “I missed so. Many. Of their birthdays. I mean, every time I came home Min looked like a different person. Seri too—Lydda’s practically grown, and-and now when I should be with them, when we should be passing the time together, I have no idea where they are. And it’s my birthday. Gods…” He was trembling now, from grief or anxiety or something else maybe. He buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, this is the same thing over again.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think it is,” Betty observed.</p>
<p>Some of his trembling settled as he looked to her for an explanation.</p>
<p>Hm, how to put words to what was in her head? Common was so unspecific. “Old feelings always come back on anniversaries.” She knew that all too well. “You don’t have to be sorry.”</p>
<p>Meltyre sighed, and Betty felt his shoulders relax a little under her arm. “I just wish...I just wish they wouldn’t. I wish I could think about anything else. Just for a little while. Is that selfish?”</p>
<p>“No.” Betty squeezed his shoulder and let her arm slide away. “It’s not selfish. Not on your birthday.”</p>
<p>Meltyre gave her a half-hearted smile. “Thanks.” He took another drink of his cider, and his smile fell, his stare drifting back off into space.</p>
<p>Hm. Betty frowned for a moment, considering. All he wanted for his birthday was to think of something else.</p>
<p>That at least was a present she could give him.</p>
<p>“Hey, Fina!” Betty called over her shoulder, Meltyre startling as she did.</p>
<p>“What?” Fina answered, looking up from her argument with Sterling.</p>
<p>“It’s Meltyre’s birthday.”</p>
<p>
  <i>“What?!”</i>
</p>
<p>“Betty, you don’t have to—” Meltyre managed, before Fina had made it to the bar, Sterling and Velune close behind.</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you say anything, magic man?” Fina demanded, hopping up onto the stool beside him and giving him a friendly punch in the arm.</p>
<p>“There-there was a lot of other stuff to be thinking about—” Meltyre stuttered.</p>
<p>Sterling cut him off by clapping him on the shoulder. “I wish you a very happy birthday, Meltyre!”</p>
<p>“I do love a birthday,” Velune said sunnily. “Shall we do something?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” Fina decided. “Hey, Tessa!”</p>
<p>Meltyre made another attempt: “We really don’t have to—”</p>
<p>“Nonsense,” Velune said. “We ought to celebrate.”</p>
<p>“It would be nice to dwell on something good for once,” Sterling muttered.</p>
<p>Tessa appeared behind the counter, looking skeptical already. “You rang?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, you know that chili soup you made a couple weeks ago?” Fina leaned forward toward her, as if this was a matter of grave importance. “With the pork shoulder and the hominy and stuff? Is there any chance we could request that on the menu tonight? You liked that, right, Meltyre?”</p>
<p>“Uh—uh yeah, I—”</p>
<p>“I just so happen to have those ingredients, yes.” Tessa looked mildly amused by the question. “Will that be all?”</p>
<p>“We should have some kind of a confection as well, shouldn’t we?” asked Sterling.</p>
<p>“I was planning on making a few pies,” Tessa remarked. “What flavor would you like?”</p>
<p>The four of them all looked at Meltyre.</p>
<p>He realized this with no small alarm, and swallowed. “Um...uh…c-cinnamon?”</p>
<p>“Cinnamon it is,” said Tessa, and went back about her business.</p>
<p>“Were you planning on keeping this a secret all day?” Sterling asked Meltyre sternly.</p>
<p>“I thought it didn’t matter,” Meltyre mumbled.</p>
<p>“Of course it matters,” Velune said. “You matter quite a bit to us.”</p>
<p>“All right, all right, there will be time for the sappy stuff after a few traditional birthday toasts,” Fina said, waving her hand at them. “Now it’s time for festivities.”</p>
<p>“And here we are without a single gift to present!” Sterling said, a bit dismayed.</p>
<p>“Welcome to birthday-style slumming it, pretty boy,” Fina said, pulling her guitar from its place on her back and strumming a few chords. “We will begin either with songs, or a game. Up to the birthday boy.”</p>
<p>“That’s a lot of pressure,” Meltyre said sheepishly. “I don’t think I can come up with games that fast.”</p>
<p>“Then allow me to be your master of ceremonies, magic man, I love games.” She winked at him. “Unless you prefer we start with singing.”</p>
<p>Meltyre shot Betty a glance. And it was very brief, less than a second, but she saw the way he smiled, the unspoken <i>thank you</i>. Good.</p>
<p>“Let’s play a game, I guess,” Meltyre said.</p>
<p>“All right!” Fina played a funky little tune. “Take your seats, everyone, take your seats! First game is Twenty Questions.”</p>
<p>Sterling pulled up a stool. “Must we start with that? I’m terrible at this game.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, is it your birthday?” Fina scolded.</p>
<p>“Only yes or no questions, right?” asked Velune.</p>
<p>“Is there any other way to play?”</p>
<p>“There are several,” Velune said with some amusement.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re old, your point is made.” Fina rolled her eyes. “I have my thing, guess.”</p>
<p>“Animal, vegetable, or mineral?” asked Meltyre.</p>
<p>Fina pointed at him in mock fury. “What did I literally just say about yes or no questions!”</p>
<p>He chuckled, and so did the others. Betty crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter contentedly. Her work here was done.</p>
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